New MontBell UL Pad

I’m a bit surprised that no one seems interested in this item. After the several heads-up mentions that Ryan Jordan made about it when he saw it at the Outdoor show last summer, I would think that at least a few people would want to know about it.

I realized after using it this weekend that it also can be attached to a sibling pad to make for a 2 or more wide pad attachment system, or even a double or more stacked system. Quite versatile.

Oh well, I’ve got one so it’s no skin of my back. (^J^)/”

Miguel:

Thanks for sharing. Probably the main reason the pads generate zero buzz around here is because they aren’t available for sale here — at least not yet.

I only recently “graduated” from an el cheapo blue foam closed cell pad to a self-inflating one (the REI Lite Core pad). As with my blue foam, I like my pads in two sections — one long and one short, the latter to double as chair pad. With the Lite Core, I piece the sections together with velcro and tape (not ideal) and so MontBell’s toggles look interesting to me.

Question: What’s the purpose of shaping the pad into a “canoe” — as in your last photo?

“Question: What’s the purpose of shaping the pad into a “canoe” — as in your last photo“

Er… um… yes! (Holding his finger up to give the impression of utmost authority) … uh… yeah… Good question. *sputter*

“Slip stream aerodynamicism” Ha hah! Sound scientific enough? (is that even a phrase?)

Actually, I just wanted to show the use of the toggles on the corners that might not be so obvious in earlier photos. Another thing, when you look at the MontBell instructions, they suggest that you toggle closed the sides like this when rolling up the pad so that the pad retains its form as you push the air out. Makes rolling the pad up much easier.

“Probably the main reason the pads generate zero buzz around here is because they aren’t available for sale here — at least not yet.“
Hmm. That doesn’t seem to stop people like me who live outside the States from showing keen interest in what is going in the States. I would think that the kind of fanaticism that goes on here would generate borderless fascination with anything new and interesting coming out. A pity. But as long as I can get the gear I’m seeking, no loss on my part.

Borderless fascination? Ha! Either you are not American, or more likely, you have forgotten what it’s like around here!

Yes, I AM GENERALIZING, but most Americans care little about foreign brands — especially those that aren’t marketed inside the States! The main exceptions seem to be those whose products fill a niche not adequately served by domestic brands. Hilleberg tents come to mind.

I think the main reason is that there really are plenty of good American brands that cover almost the entire spectrum of products.

A secondary reason is price. Both European and Japanese products tend to be more expensive — sometimes much more!

Factor in (1) and (2), plus the hassle of shipping and customs… you get the idea.

Miguel,

Your post acutally promted me to check out the Japanese portion of the Montbell site(normally I just look at the North American one). Looks like they have quite a few interesting things there that aren’t available here in the States. I especially like the zelt shelters…neat design. Since I’ve seen the site and know whats there, I feel somewhat teased because I cant buy it! That is the real shame. It is nice to know what is out there though. Maybe some day…

Anywho, thanks for the post and the pics. Its nice see something different from the same old manufacturers picture.

Roy

“Borderless fascination? Ha! Either you are not American, or more likely, you have forgotten what it’s like around here!“

Last thing I checked I am most definitely not American… though my brother and father are and I spent about half my life in the States (Oregon, New York, and Boston). I’m a German/ Filipino-Black American who grew up and lived most my life in Japan. Definitely haven’t forgotten about how things are like around there (a few little worldwide “skirmishes” come to mind), but it’s always nice to entertain hope springing eternal, don’t you think?

There is SO much stuff out here in the rest of the world that hasn’t even begun to be discovered, some of which would be revolutionary in the UL world. I would hope that the more minds involved the more thinking-outside-the-box would be generated. In my travels around the world I am constantly discovering little things that I would never have even imagined on my own…

Ben, I’ve been meaning to ask… what is your background? From your name I’m assuming there’s Chinese in there somewhere. From your posts you seem to have traveled a lot.

I am fortunate that my parents love to travel, and they opened my eyes to the world when I was growing up. Traveling is my favorite thing to do.

The US is a big country, with more things to see, do and buy than anyone can hope to in a lifetime! And because our market is huge and competitive, we enjoy more choices and lower prices than most anywhere in the world.

Still, it’s a shame that more people don’t travel, and are deprived of the chance to experience the rest of the world first hand. I’ve read somewhere that fully 80% of Americans don’t even carry a passport! The real shame is that many get their “knowledge” of the world from CNN, and almost nothing can change their minds that “it’s dangerous out there”.

I can’t remember ever exchanging an email with anyone who’s excited about some piece of gear discovered on a foreign website. I do remember a light weight Japanese day pack that Franco posted a few weeks ago. Fact is, very few of us would ever bother to search for them on our own!

Oh, just saw your latest posting. I am a Chinese American. I was born in HK, grew up in Taiwan, went to college in the States (USC) and now live and work in beautiful Pasadena, California. :)

Given the toggles at the corners, has anyone thought about marketing these as cheap, versatile and individually adjustable tatami mats? (hehe)

Thanks Miguel, I actually had gone looking for these but hadn’t seen them in their Shibuya or Ebisu stores.

Re, the lack of interest, that was exactly how I felt after posting about the new MB Versalite packsover at TLB. My feeling is that once they’re available in the US these products will be more appreciated. Back in 2001 I posted a review of the MB Torrent Flier at TLB. At that time it was the lightest Gore Tex jacket available but there was no interest. However now that MB is available in the US the “my favourite piece of gear” lists always seem to have something from MB on them.

I like to learn about foreign gear not yet (or maybe never available) in the US. I just find it interesting, and am filled with hope that it might soon show up on US shores, or that a US Mfr may “borrow” aspects of the design. Each time though a great piece of gear is brought to my attention, the classic Pavlovian response is elicited. I too found the Montbell Japanese website interesting – not only for some of the non-US gear that was present there, but also for some very nice MB-USgear that was conspicuously absent. Perhaps it just went by other names in Nihon?

Wow… I must not have been looking when this was posted. I’ve been awaiting Montbell’s offering since Ryan J mentioned it last year.

Thanks for the updates and posts. Be sure to keep us updated as you use it. I’m interested to see what the durability will be. (and to see if they’ll ever release it for sale in the US).

Okay, wait a minute… did you say that the larger montbell is lighter than the pro-lite pictured? How does the thickness compare?

I want one of their old “compact mattress” mats (a short), but they are out of stock on the american site. These new ones don’t look as comfy as the old ones, sadly.

Compact Mattress M

This just looks like my thermarest prolite short. And weights the same…

Joshua, the ProLite pictured is the Lite Seat that I use for both a seat and, when inflated and rolled up, as my pillow. The MontBell mat definitely isn’t lighter than that! But the MontBell mat is lighter than the 3/4 length ProLite 3 season version (which is 370g, while the MontBell 120 cm version is 360g). The feel of the cover material is very similar to the ProLite and seems just as tough. Without perforations in the open cell foam (which some people complain makes the ProLite cold) it should be warmer than the ProLite. It is the same thickness.

Paul, I was actually going to suggest to Ryan J. to try out the shoes or sandals that are used here in Japan for the sport of “sawanobori” (shower climbing… you can see a few pictures on the Japanese MontBell site, and some of the gear that MontBell makes for the sport. Here are some more pictures. Here and here, too). In shower climbing moisture management is top priority, since often you spend the day climbing through frigid mountain runoff, and footwear which is secure on slippery river rocks must fit securely on your feet. Three types of footwear are worn, 1) straw sandals over a neoprene bootie, 2) special rubberized sawanobori shoes or 3) felt-soled fishing boots that have special removeable lugged soles for walking on trails. I thought the sawanobori footwear might come in useful in the Arctic for a cold, wet environment, but am not sure really what Arctic conditions are like. My limited experience of the Arctic in Lappland had me mucking about in very boggy conditions in artificial leather topped cross-training shoes which got soaked with the first few steps among the tussocks. My feet never fully dried out.

But the sawanobori ideas might be useful for someone looking for something different and new.

Wade, I have one of the inflatable compact mattresses. It is basically just an air mattress with a tough skin. It is a pain to blow up (each tube you must blow up individually and let the air out from the opposite end). It is not warm enough in colder weather since there is no insulation inside. I cut open one end and stuffed each tube with a strip of PolarGuard insulation. Now it is warm enough, but quite heavy. The Pacific Outdoor Equipment InsulMat Max Thermo is much lighter and easier to use.

Gear that comes from oversees manufacturers seem like they have alot to offer. I try to keep up on what is new, but sometimes the information is hard to find. I really like outdoorsmagic.com for info on european gear but gear from asia I don’t know of any good sites. Plus when I occasionally find asian sites the text comes out as a bunch of question marks, so I can’t read it anyway.

I really wish someone would distribute more gear from foreign manufacturers here in the States.

Roy

I checked the Montbell’s US site and they are available for sale. You have to navigate to the sleeping bag section and then on the top of the description, you will see the other items in the navigation hierarchy. Problem is they are sold out. I went by the Boulder store yesterday just to see if they had them and they do. None of the guys in the store really like them. They say they are a little thin and not very comfortable or warm, but I think I am going to buy one and try it out just to see.

BTW, the design for the US versions isn’t quite the same. I looked at the large pad and there weren’t any toggles or loops on it. It is possible that I was looking at a different or older model maybe?

I’ll chime in again when I have more info…

Last November I made the mistake of buying one of MontBell’s older sleeping pads, thinking it was this newer version. I don’t think the new version is out yet in the States. It has only just come out in Japan, and since MontBell definitely wants to satisfy its Japanese clientele first, I’m sure they’re going to offer the pad here first. MontBell has a habit of manufacturing only enough products to fill the projected quota and therefore often run out of items within the first few weeks of putting them on the shelves. Customers must wait until the next season. Since its biggest client base is by far here in Japan this is where the goods will go first.

The new pad is the same thickness as the ThermaRest ProLite; it’s not too thin. It comes in a bright, salmon red color. The older pads came in purple-crimson or teal-crimson. It doesn’t have toggles. It is also quite a lot heavier than the new mat.

I never responded to this thread because, quite frankly, I never saw it. No border bound fascination here.

Ive been waiting to hear more about these pads, as Im a bit of a MontBell junkie. Thanks for posting the info!

As for local availability of the pads….
The US store does NOT have the pads that Miguel is showing pictures of.

thread drift – Im digging those Sawatabi. Ive looked and looked and looked for some nylon or poly tabi with rubber soles for summer hiking. I often do summer trips barefoot, but sometimes the conditions make that pretty unbearable. Tabi give the same basic feel, but keep my from cutting open my foot. Unfortunatly they are all cotton.

These tabi dont really fix my need for summer weight synthetic tabi, but they might just give me something for shoulder seasons and kayaking.

Now I gotta save some money and find someone to bug to send them to me…

You are right about them being the older models if they are the teal color. Those are the ones I saw. I guess it reasons as to why the guys in the Boulder store don’t like them!

Oh well, I’ll just have to wait to try them out.

Yeah, I already have a InsulMax Thermo short – picked it up with my dividend at REI.

I was consdiering the Montbell unit because it was 12 oz instead of 16.4 oz, thinking they were simliar.

Honestly, I’m not sure how important the insulation is for me – I usually camp in warm weather and comfort is more important than insulation (rocks, the desert = sore hip bones) but maybe there is something there.

Thanks for the opinon. Maybe I’ll stick with the Insulmat and sleep well.

Of course, I also have the Torsolight, the TR prolite short and the GG Nightlight. The latter just wasn’t enough for me, sadly. My wife thinks I’m nuts.

Joe, if you really are interested in getting the sawatabis sometime, just e-mail me (butuki at gmail dot com) and I’ll see what I can do. I’m a bit strapped for money so I can’t just go out and buy stuff just like that, but we could probably work something out. I’m thinking of starting sawanobori this summer (and could also use the sawatabi for sea kayaking), so I’ll be keeping my eyes peeled for when they are in the stores again (I don’t think the summer inventory has been quite set up in the stores yet). Just let me know.

Miguel:

With an eye on innovative light weight gear for hiking as well as traveling, what are some other Japanese outfits that are comparable (if not even better than) MontBell? Website links will be doubly appreciated. Salamat!